Women’s soccer beats Siena, improves to 5-1

Most teams would be pleased with a win that helped improve their record to 5-1. However that was not the case for the Quinnipiac women’s soccer team on Sunday.

After defeating the Siena Saints 5-2 at Bobcat Field, the coaches and players were left pondering how to improve the team’s performance.

“Today we didn’t play well,” Head Coach Dave Clarke said. “We won, which was nice. There’s been times over the last couple of years where we have played well and haven’t won.”

Chloe Beizer was not happy with the team’s performance and her own performance as well. It was the first time the senior goalkeeper had allowed two goals in a game since the season opening 2-0 loss to Lehigh.

“We weren’t pushing ourselves today,” Beizer said. “I think I had a really poor game, but it’s just a matter of some days bad games are going to happen and we’re just going to have to shake it off for the next one.”

The Bobcats got off on the wrong foot early on. Siena (3-4) tallied the first goal only 1:17 into the game as Susie Blaisdell’s cross found the head of Tabitha Tice, who placed the ball in the back of the net. The goal gave the Saints the 1-0 advantage.

Quinnipiac…..5

Siena…………..2

Quinnipiac (5-1) would respond by scoring three goals in a seven minute period. The first goal came off the foot of freshman forward Lauren Peacock. Justine Lombardi found a wide-open Peacock who dribbled the ball into the right side of the penalty area and fired a shot to the lower left corner of the goal. The ball just got by Saint goalkeeper Patti Carroll.

The Bobcats would take the lead for good with 28:39 left in the first half. After a miscommunication between Carroll and one of the Saints defenders, Donovan volleyed a bouncing ball into the net to give the Bobcats the 2-1 lead. Only 1:14 later, Sarah Lawlor beat two defenders on the left side and her shot deflected off a Saints defender into the goal.

Quinnipiac would have a few more chances in the first half and would take a 3-1 lead into the half. However, Donovan and Lawlor were not done scoring.

Lawlor tallied her second goal of the match when she took the ball up the left side of the field, cut back right, and blasted a shot past Carroll. Not to be outdone, Donovan also tallied her second goal of

he match only two minutes after Lawlor’s goal. The two second half goals gave the Bobcats a 5-1 advantage.

Lawlor had a few chances to earn a hat trick. One wide open shot glanced off the post and Lawlor joked after the game that she had counted the goal too early in her mind.

“The first one I saw the goal before it happened,” Lawlor said. “But the minute I kicked the ball I knew it wasn’t going in.” Siena added their second goal of the game as Blaisdell added a goal to her assist when her header found the upper right corner of the net.

Donovan felt that the offense played well, but that they could have done better.

“I think we need to start finishing better because we should have scored at least nine goals,” Donovan said.

The Bobcats have three more non-conference games before they start their NEC schedule on Oct. 7. Clarke would like to see his team make some improvements before they start NEC play.

“I want to see a response to today,” Clarke said. “I want to see a different attitude in practice, I want to see a different attitude in the games next weekend.”